Santuario del Santissimo Crocifisso

The Sanctuary of the Holy Crucifix, also known as the Sanctuary of the Santissima Annunciata, stands just inside Como’s old walls. Its devotional history is associated with a chapel founded in 1236 and a wooden crucifix brought by pilgrims in 1399; the present complex preserves Baroque and later architectural phases.

Why it matters

The sanctuary became a principal centre of devotion in Como after pilgrims brought a wooden crucifix in 1399. A reported miracle during a procession in 1529 strengthened its civic religious role, and the complex was enlarged over subsequent centuries. It remains a diocesan sanctuary and parish associated with the Somascan Fathers.

What to notice

The façade’s giant Corinthian order frames the portal and bronze statues of Saints Peter and Paul by Giuseppe Siccardi, with an Annunciation group by Giuseppe Bayer above. The interior is organized on a Latin-cross plan. Eight large columns frame four statues by Stefano da Laglio; side chapels preserve frescoes associated with Morazzone and the circle of Carlo Innocenzo Carloni. The Serassi organ, built in 1808, has 3,119 pipes. The chapel of the Immacolata contains an eighteenth-century fresco cycle by Carloni.

Context and history

Tradition dates the foundation of the original chapel to 1236, when canon Erasmo Campanacci established it on reclaimed marshland near the walls. The earliest documentary evidence for the convent dates to a donation in 1331. Pilgrims brought the crucifix in 1399, and the reported miracle of 1529 strengthened the sanctuary’s place in civic devotion. The main church works took place between 1625 and 1654; the Baroque complex was consecrated in 1783, and its façade was renewed in 1867 to a design by architect Fontana.